UPDATE

It was a tragic start to the New Year for one family after a fire destroyed their brick home this morning. The home was located in the 500 block of County Road 1111, west of Decatur just south of Farm Road 1810. Decatur, Bridgeport and Alvord fire departments battled the fire for almost two hours on the cold, gray morning, but it was a total loss.The fire was called in about 9 a.m. Decatur Fire Department apparatus arrived a few minutes later, but Chief Mike Richardson said the fire had already been burning for about half hour before they arrived. Much of the roof was already gone.

“You could already see completely through the house by the time we arrived,” Richardson said.

The fire was first noticed by a neighbor who called 911. The neighbor, along with several others, attempted to pull out and save what items they could from the garage of the home, which is owned by Michael and Ashly DoByns. They have a one and four-year-old child. No one was home when the fire occurred, and no people or pets were injured. The couple owns Decatur Service Station after buying Hudson Fina from Dennis Hudson last fall. DoByns is a former Decatur Police Department detective and currently serves for the Grapevine Fire Department while remaining a reserve officer for Decatur Police. Mrs. DoByns also works for the Decatur Police Department and was at the office when the call came into dispatch. Richardson said they will investigate to try and determine the cause of the fire.

Ashly Dobyns can only watch in shock as fire consumes her family’s home Wednesday morning. Photo by Joe Duty.